Bled Red
by Karozataxia
Summary: What if Tatsumi had lived with Esdeath in the same village? That is what this story is based upon. Note:This is my first story, so please drop a review. Also, chapters will be longer than this, I just wanted to get the story going.


**Note, I don't know what I'm doing, so it may take up to weeks for a new chapter. Lol XD Let's hope that doesn't happen.**

**XXXXX**

Tatsumi's parents had just died by a danger beast. It was lying dead by the warm blood it had created with its claws on his parents.A shock to see. But, this event would shape him into a complex man. And that would benefit him, very much.

"Why? Why?!"

He really wanted to know exactly what happened, from every dust speck to blood drop, but he would understand later, a long time later.

"Because your parents were weak when they were attacked, Tatsumi."

He was holding on to the Chief's leggings, while shivering due to the cold and shock.

"And only the strong prevail."

His parents were laying dead, slashed by the danger beast, blood still leaking. Tatsumi still had not grasped this had just happened. They had been attacked at night, both giving their lives up for the village, so that no one else would die. It was a very valiant and heroic cause.

"Tatsumi."

"Eh?" He said while sniffing and tears departing his eyes.

"Tatsumi," he said getting on his knee and staring directly at him,"you'll be safe with me and my family." He then hugged him and brought him into his hut.

"Get some rest, Tatsumi," he said leaving the hut to bury the bodies and announce what happened to the rest of the people.

XXXXX

Tatsumi woke up the next day, relieved from stress. Then he saw where he was and felt a jab of pain. He remembered what had happened. He tried to hold back, but he let out tears.

"Huh?" Said an unknown voice from the room. Tatsumi looked in the direction, and saw a sapphire eyed, and haired girl, a little older than he was. Tatsumi looked back, and shed a couple of more tears. The girl ran over, and started comforting him.

"Don't worry, you'll get over it."

"Who are you?" Looking at her. Tatsumi had his radical doubts about life, for this was his transition period of types of emotion climate.

She came with boiled tea, as this in the village was a luxury, and a remedy for forgiveness. Its rarity was like chocolate, used for special occasions.

'I'm Esdeath, the chief's daughter. That's all for now, lay down and think about what happened."

She hurried out of the tent, and Tatsumi did. Rethinking it over and over and over. He trained himself with the time given to be prepared for this. He ran plans for events like these. One might think this was too much, but Tatsumi had ambitions that would cover a lifetime. This is what changed him from a desolate boy to a worker of tragedy, it could be war, poverty, famine, and plagues. But in the week he was given with isolation, he had changed to an entire different person.

XXXXX

Tatsumi was now over a year older since his parents died. He had grown close to Esdesth, but was still inquisitive about her. 'That blue hair,' he pondered having a odd mien.

They were hunting a V'lka danger beast. It had 3-feet long horns, and had the skin of a rock. This one was particularly difficult beast, as it was completely gray, the same gray as the rocks that made the ravine it was in. When it say its prey, it would open its mouth, and you'd be shocked by it. It kept the corpses of every animal it had killed in its mouth, to warn off predators, if it had any.

Of course, Esdeath and Tatsumi had an advantage, because they could stay at the top on the outside.

They were quiet as worms, and didn't say any words to each other. They used this strategy a lot when hunting difficult ones. It worked too, for most at least. It has failed quite a few times, and one or the other had been injured. But it didn't matter for them, because they had been scarred so many times.

They found the V'lka, and looked at each other. Tatsumi waited for her signal, as for she was his mistress. They had found both of their spots for the assassination, and Esdeath nodded as the signal.

Tatsumi had always been a strategist, and had planned a plan for the killing. He knew what was going on.

He propelled himself off the side of the ravine going towards the savage beast. He had already expertly mastered stealth from Esdeath in the wild, so the beast didn't notice him when he jumped. Besides, he was behind it. He jumped on top of it, rather than shoot it with arrows. He knew that would only anger it, and would make him vulnerable to its rage. When he got on top of it, he pulled out his sword and stabbed in its head.

He was sure that he defeated it. He moved his head to Esdeath, but when he saw her, she had her bow ready with an arrow. He looked back at the V'lka, only to see it had survived somehow. What was really going was that the beast used a fake head, and its real one was hidden underneath its fake on. It dislodged its false one, a wonder in evolution, and knocked Tatsumi off. Esdeath managed to get a few hits on it, only to catch its attention. That was the purpose, to protect Tatsumi so he could get an ambush on it.

But that would not happen, for Tatsumi felt his body slipping, and his hands failing. Perhaps he was so confident was the reason for his failure. His last action, which mustered all of his remaining strength, was throwing his unsheathed sword at the beast. He knew not what this would accomplish.

And… He was gone…

XXXXX

When he woke up, he knew it would be the next day, they had been following the beast until evening, and it would be soon time to sleep, and Tatsumi thought his body would go to sleep with that chance. It was only an hour's distance back to their simple huts, for the V'lka had led them back the whole day. He presumed he would've been pulled with the beast or not by Esdeath leading him back. He woke up, for sure with his assumptions correct, but woke up with the friction of teeth in his mouth by getting dropped to the ground.

When he woke up, he was in dissent, but for a few seconds, a few fragile seconds. This would backstab him later.

He saw flames and smoke. However, there was no discord and strife present. Just a raid. But it wasn't that. Maybe it was for Tatsumi, for he had gone through hardships like this before. But not for Esdeath. She was a prevailer, one who would know hardship and oppression, and do that to other people. She was over by a house, no doubt, her father's. Tatsumi took his time to recover, and let Esdeath take hers. It was a very long time for her. So long, Tatsumi grew too impatient for her recoverment, and went of to her.

He sat down behind her and said,"Esdeath," in the frailest voice, and gave a tight and tiny grin,"I just wanna let you know, we'll make through, and that I pledge my loyalty forever to you.

Esdeath turned around, exposing her swollen eyes with tears bulging out of them, and hugged Tatsumi, so very hard, so that he would remember forever.

And that would be it, for a while, at least. They took what little they could scavenge from the deserted village, and went to the capital. There was no where else to go, unless they lived their lives in the wild. Esdeath wanted to make a name for herself, and Tatsumi would follow her.


End file.
